I KNOW MY OWN HEART
by Emma Donoghue
I KNOW MY OWN HEART
Description
Emma's first play which was nominated for the Stewart Parker Award for Best Irish Debut Play.
As the self-educated heiress to her uncle's estate near Halifax in Yorkshire, Anne Lister broke all of the rules of Regency ladyhood. She travelled unchaperoned, studied Greek and geometry, and refused to even consider marriage. She was also known for a flamboyant devotion to women that exceeded the 'romantic friendship' considered normal for the time. This play explores her affairs with three women over ten years, and probes the choices of a woman trying to understand and express herself in a society based on rules and silences. The play is loosely based on I Know my own Heart: the Diaries of Anne Lister, edited by Helena Whitebread (Virago Press, 1988).
Reviews
‘‘A semi-fictionalized account of badass women undergoing the messy, exciting venture of rewriting the unofficial rules of relationships in English high society. … At its most fun, I Know My Own Heart escapes its stuffy collars and labyrinthian complications of relationships altogether and depicts the joys and solidarity of 19th century women enjoying each other's company.’’
‘‘Lister’s life—and her unflappable ability to live her truth (as we’d say today)—becomes a means to examining bigger themes of independence, gender equality, class, friendship and more.’’
‘‘HIGHLY RECOMMENDED. Don’t let the label ‘a lesbian love story’ keep you away. This is a well-made story for everyone about an individual who was simply way aheada of her time.’’